


this path is reckless (but i like it)

by agreattimetobealive



Category: Fashion Model RPF, Taylor Swift (Musician)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-14
Updated: 2015-12-14
Packaged: 2018-05-06 16:12:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,773
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5423549
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/agreattimetobealive/pseuds/agreattimetobealive
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Taylor blushes, and then feels dumb, and then looks down at her hand on Karlie’s leg. She decidedly does <i>not</i> look any higher, does <i>not</i> think about Karlie’s bare calves and bare thighs against <i>her</i> bare skin, or about how the frayed denim shorts Karlie’s wearing, on Taylor’s couch <i>right now,</i> might not have panties under them.</p><p>She definitely doesn’t internally freak out about <i>any</i> of that stuff.</p><p>(Or; Taylor worries about being boring, and Karlie convinces her to try something a little out of her comfort zone.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	this path is reckless (but i like it)

**Author's Note:**

> Yeah, I know the summary makes it sound kind of dirty and awesome, but this is actually more cutesy because I am the worst. (And I'm bad at porn.) Sorry. Read it anyway. 
> 
> Title is from Taylor, obvs. Oh, and we're pretending kissgate had some actual kissing happening, cool? And speaking of kissgate, there are some drinking/alcohol mentions happening up in here, in case that is something you want to avoid.

It starts one night while they're watching television. The TV isn't the important part, of course, since Karlie and Taylor are ignoring it in favour of conversation instead. 

This is how a lot of their evenings go; they get together and catch up and maybe have dinner, and decide to put something on to watch. Then as soon as the television’s on, they think of a million different things they need to tell each other, and everything else is just background noise.

Currently, the TV is playing the _Friends_ episode where Phoebe changes her name, and Karlie is yelling about how rude paparazzi can be, her long legs sprawled out across Taylor’s lap on the couch, expressively waving her hands around. 

"And a different time, in Paris," she exclaims, "Jourdan and I had these two guys follow us while we were trying to sightsee, and we had skirts on, and all I could hear was them being _so_ gross about how they hoped a gust of wind would come and maybe we wouldn't be wearing underwear!" Every time Karlie gets excited, she drums her feet against the armrest of the couch, and Taylor has a hand across her calf to keep her somewhat still.

A lot of their evenings go like _this,_ too; with Karlie’s legs in Taylor’s lap, or vice versa, or the two of them cuddled together sharing the same blanket, or one of them (usually Taylor) falling asleep against the other’s shoulder. 

"Blech," moans Taylor, miming throwing up. "And they didn't care that you could _hear?"_

"Well, they didn't know I knew French, I guess." 

Taylor grins. "Did you tell them off?"

 _"Mais oui,"_ Karlie replies playfully. "I started in French but then got _very_ angry American about it."

"Good," Taylor smiles, picturing Karlie standing up for herself fiercely.

Her smile is wiped away the next second when Karlie says, "Of course, I didn't mention the fact that I was _not_ actually wearing underwear, but that's not the point."

Karlie grins, wickedly arching an eyebrow, and Taylor's brain short-circuits. 

"You - _what?"_ Because this is a thing she would _know_ about her best friend, right? And also a thing she would _want_ to know about her best friend for _purely_ best-friend reasons, right? 

Sure. Of course. 

Karlie just shrugs, her smirk growing wider. 

Taylor blushes, and then feels dumb, and then looks down at her hand on Karlie’s leg. She decidedly does _not_ look any higher, does _not_ think about Karlie’s bare calves and bare thighs against _her_ bare skin, or about how the frayed denim shorts Karlie’s wearing, on Taylor’s couch _right now,_ might not have panties under them.

She definitely doesn’t internally freak out about _any_ of that stuff. 

Instead, she says, “That’s weird,” in a slightly hoarse-sounding voice, and then wants to _die._ Karlie’s leg feels warm under her hand, but maybe the heat is coming from _her._ Taylor’s face feels flushed and hot and she hopes it’s not obvious.

Karlie laughs at her, laughs _hard,_ eyes tearing up and legs vibrating against Taylor’s lap. 

“I’m sorry,” Taylor says, which is _also_ a dumb thing to say but at least her voice sounds back to normal this time. “I didn’t mean it like...weird. I just mean it’s not something I can do.”

“Okay, _that’s_ weird,” Karlie says, wiping her eyes. She giggles again into her hands for a second, and then tries to look serious. “It’s super easy, just...don’t put them on?”

Now Taylor laughs, rolling her eyes. “I didn’t mean I’m not physically able, dumbass, I mean I _shouldn’t_. And you _know_ that, you know I can’t even leave the house without a bra on, or else there would be headlines about how - gasp! - Taylor Swift has nipples!” 

Karlie sometimes goes without a bra, not that Taylor has really been _noticing._

"Well now that the truth about your belly button is out," Karlie teases, "it's only a matter of time before the people start wondering about other body parts. Do you have all ten toes? Has that been proven? I want proof!" She moves one leg to dig her own toes into Taylor's calf, and Taylor makes a face at her as she pushes her foot away. 

"Stop it, I'm serious!" Taylor pouts. She’s not _like_ Karlie, she can’t be due to the image she wants to project for her younger fans. Karlie's just so effortlessly sexy in a way Taylor's not, and sometimes it makes her feel boring and self conscious. 

“You’re _too_ serious, I think,” Karlie points out. “On a non-windy day, with a long skirt, you’d have nothing to worry about. You always play it too safe.”

Taylor rolls her eyes again and pretends like she doesn’t care, because safe can be boring, but it can also be smart. Like how she’s being safe by not _really_ thinking too hard about how she feels about Karlie. That’s just...that’s smart, right?

She takes her hand off Karlie’s leg to play with her hair nervously, and suddenly the television is the only sound in the room, the sitcom laughter a little too loud.

* * *

Karlie doesn't bring it up again, but over the next few days, Taylor can't stop thinking about it. Or, more truthfully, can't stop thinking about Karlie. Karlie, who apparently swans around without underwear more than Taylor knew. Karlie, who is full of surprises.

She meets Taylor for lunch one day, and Taylor eyes her short cotton skirt. Definitely underwear. Then, she comes over to bake cookies wearing a loose tank and skinny jeans, and Taylor gets a glimpse of black lace when Karlie reaches up to grab a mixing bowl off the top shelf. Confirmed underwear. 

The next day, Karlie comes over for another movie night, meets Taylor in the kitchen wearing a long grey sundress. Taylor's heart skips a beat. Karlie's obviously braless, and Taylor feels dry-mouthed and ridiculous as her eyes flicker down Karlie's body. 

It's just curiosity, she tells herself. She's curious because it's something she'd never do. Karlie’s giving her a confused look, probably because Taylor is staring at her like she’s high, _and_ she’s realizing that she hasn’t even said hello yet. 

“I have strawberries,” her mouth chooses to say instead, and she points to the counter. Okay, it’s possible that she _is_ high. 

“Great!” Karlie says brightly, apparently choosing to ignore Taylor’s weirdness, which is _so,_ so appreciated. “I brought wine, how romantic!” she laughs, holding up a bottle of chardonnay. 

They end up on the couch again, each with a glass of wine, the bowl of strawberries on the table in front of them. 

Taylor's _not_ going to bring it up, she's not, but then three glasses of wine each and they've finished the bottle, and Karlie's cheeks are flushed from the alcohol and her lips are stained red from the berries and she looks so beautiful. Taylor opens her mouth to say something about the wine, or something about Olivia, who's curled up in between them on the couch, or something, _anything_ but, "So no underwear today?"

She just barely raises her voice at the end, making it (she hopes) a casual question instead of a pervy, I've-been-checking-you-out statement. 

Karlie laughs and shrugs. "It's too hot out, you know?"

Taylor breathes a sigh of relief that Karlie's going to treat this like any other conversation. (And maybe it is. Maybe Taylor's just overreacting.)

She scoops up Olivia, cuddling her to her chest. "I _don't_ know," she says, "since I have paparazzi who follow me and tabloids who would tear me apart.” 

She holds up Olivia level to her face and says in a stupid squeaky cat-voice, “Mom has people who’ll get mad if she’s too risque!”

Karlie looks at Olivia sternly. “What do you know? You’re just a little bit of fluff.” Then she meets Taylor’s eyes over Olivia’s head. “Seriously, if it’s something you’d like to try, put on a long skirt and we’ll go out to lunch. I’ll yell helpful things at the paps like TAYLOR SWIFT WEARS GRANNY PANTIES and, you know, it’ll be _fine.”_

Taylor makes a face.

“Getting out of your comfort zone can be a good thing, you know?” Karlie shrugs. 

"But my comfort zone is so comfy," Taylor deadpans. "I just bought all these throw pillows."

Karlie laughs at her and nods. "It's totally your call, Tay. Either way, I don't think it's a big deal."

Taylor nods at that, because that seems right. Not a big deal. Like the way she can't stop thinking about Karlie, that's not a big deal. Or how she desperately wants to impress Karlie, unlike how she's felt around any other friend. That shouldn’t be a big deal either, mostly because she knows Karlie doesn’t really care. It’s not going to make a difference to Karlie if she wears panties or not, or if she’s _sexy,_ or if she’s in sweats and glasses when Karlie comes over. 

So it shouldn’t make a difference to Taylor either, but it really does. She worries about how Karlie sees her, more than anyone else in her life. And ever since the beginning of her career, Taylor has been the good girl. It’s great for her, because it’s true, she _is_ the good girl, and she’s fine with that image, because she doesn’t want to be fake.

She also _really_ doesn’t want to be boring.

* * *

Then there's a party, because there's _always_ a party happening in New York, at any given second. Karlie's going, and Cara and Lily too, and Taylor's always a little surprised that she gets invited to these fancy, fashion things, because in her head, she's sometimes still the girl in sundresses and cowboy boots. But Karlie’s excited that they get to attend an event together (not _together_ -together, but they’ll meet up inside) and so Taylor’s pretty excited too.

She goes upstairs to get dressed - her outfit's been picked out for a week, stylist approved. Seeing her dress and shoes hung neatly in her closet only make Karlie's words echo through her head. _You play it too safe._

She goes through the motions of getting ready, her mind on Karlie's words, thinking them over as she slips on her dress and straps on her heels. 

She surveys herself in the mirror when she's ready. Floral sundress that flares out just below her knees, cute and dainty accessories, and strappy heels that match her dress. She looks like Taylor Swift going to an afternoon garden party, which is perfectly appropriate since...she is. But she's not happy with it, and she meets her own eyes in the mirror. 

"Stop playing it safe," she tells herself firmly, and then reaches up under the hem of her dress. 

She kicks her panties across her floor, double checks the mirror once more, then strides determinedly downstairs and out of her apartment. 

Doubt starts to kick in once she's sitting in her car, on the way to the party. This was such a dumb plan. She feels uncomfortable, like she's going to be fidgeting all day. And she should've checked properly to make sure her dress isn't at all see through. What if something goes wrong? She thinks of all of the ways this could end up in tabloids and feels nauseous. She should always play it safe, safe is _awesome._

She gets through the press line as fast as possible, trying to pose for pictures without holding her purse awkwardly in front of her like a vagina shield. She tries to breathe normally and remind herself that this is _not_ bad. This is a decision she made to get herself out of her comfort zone, and, well, it's definitely doing that. _Nobody can tell,_ she chants to herself over and over, forcing a genuine smile onto her face. 

Once inside the party, she actually relaxes a little. It’s a beautiful sunny afternoon, and it’s a nice change to attend an event outdoors instead of in some stuffy banquet hall. There are small tables dotted across the lawn, a few people seated but most standing and mingling, and gorgeous potted flowers everywhere. Away from the camera flashes and people yelling her name, she remembers why she was excited for this event in the first place, and starts searching for Karlie. 

She finds champagne first, and takes a glass gratefully. She sips it as she makes her way around the party, admiring the flowers and people. There are more flower beds at the other end of the yard, with gravel paths winding between them. Taylor can see the top of a white gazebo behind some hedges, and it’s the kind of fairytale-like setting that she absolutely _loves._ She wants to go explore, but even more she wants to take Karlie with her. Karlie must be totally _dying_ over this place, Taylor realizes happily, because Karlie is a huge dork for flowers. She’s talked more than once about her landscaping dreams for when she has a place with a proper yard. 

Taylor sees a few people she knows and says a polite hello, but can't find Karlie anywhere. Finally, she pulls her phone out of her purse and sends a text. _Where are you?? She types. I did something, and I'm freaking out a little!!_

After a second of thinking, she also adds, _I did that THING you were talking about. WHERE ARE YOU?_

As soon as she sends the second text, she catches a glimpse of Karlie across the yard, laughing with Cara and Lily. Great, but now she's going to have to make up an excuse to get Karlie alone so they can talk. Or so she can have a panic attack, and Karlie can talk. Karlie’s the best at calming her down, no matter the situation. She walks towards them, watching as Karlie pulls her phone out of her small purse, obviously receiving Taylor's texts. Karlie's face lights up into the biggest grin as she looks at her screen, and she says something to Cara and Lily. 

Then she's walking away, back over to the main area. Taylor's almost up to the girls now, and wonders if she should call out to Karlie, or go join up with Cara and Lily and wait for Karlie to come back. 

She wants to talk to Karlie though, alone if possible, and since none of the girls have noticed her approaching, she avoids Lily and Cara and follows along after Karlie. She has to smile, hurrying after Karlie, because they’re wearing practically the same dress. Karlie’s is a similar length and style as hers, the only difference being the colors. Taylor’s sundress is a light blush pink, with dainty pink and purple flowers embroidered on the skirt, and Karlie’s has a blue and purple swirly pattern. Karlie’s wearing shorter heels than Taylor is, but her hair is down in loose waves, the same as Taylor’s. If they pose for pictures together, they’ll look matchy, and Taylor loves that that constantly happens without them planning for it. 

Karlie walks into the main house, even though most of the party is outside. She can't be looking for Taylor, though, right? The only thing inside besides the kitchen is....oh, duh, the bathrooms. 

Taylor stops outside, choosing to wait there for Karlie instead of hovering outside the bathroom door. A waiter passes her and she trades her empty glass for a full one and takes a sip. 

Pretty soon, Karlie walks out of the house, and catches Taylor's eyes immediately when Taylor waves. She hurries over and Taylor clutches on to her arm. "Kaaaaarlie, help. I did something."

Karlie laughs, big and cheery. "I know, I saw your text. And so I did too!" She winks at Taylor, who gapes at her. 

"You mean...?" She stutters. 

Karlie grins. "Just took 'em off in the bathroom." Then she shakes her purse and grins even wider. "Don't let me leave this unattended, okay? Can’t have them ending up on ebay."

Taylor's knees feel a little weak. "What am I _doing?"_ she moans. 

"You're having a fun, sexy time at a party," Karlie replies, linking their arms together. "Now let's go enjoy it."

Karlie grabs her own flute of champagne and they wander across the lawn, giggling as their heels sink slightly into the grass. As predicted, Karlie _is_ going nuts about all the flowers, naming them appreciatively as they pass, cooing over them, and pausing a couple of times to bend down and smell them. 

She looks at Taylor in front of a bunch of purple somethings (because there’s something about the way Karlie gestures with her hands and her eyes _light up_ when she talks about a topic she loves, and Taylor just...kind of missed what she was actually _saying_ ) and gives Taylor a _look_ before reaching down a plucking a few flowers from their stems and taking a skipping step back to Taylor quickly. 

“Karlie!” Taylor gasps. 

“Shhh!” Karlie says, eyes sparkling, leaning in and tucking the flower into Taylor’s hair, behind her ear. “Act casual!”

She tucks the second flower behind her own ear and winks at Taylor. “They matched our dresses,” she says simply in explanation. 

“You’re such a rebel,” Taylor says dryly as Karlie links her arm back though Taylor’s. 

They head in the direction of the gazebo Taylor had noticed earlier, and the crowds thin out as they move away from the main party area. Wandering among the flowerbeds, Taylor is grateful when Karlie leads them onto one of the small pathways, as it makes walking in her heels a little simpler. It’s not like they’re going very fast anyway. 

However, away from the crowd, Taylor is less distracted and remembers that she’s kind of uncomfortable. She smoothes the skirt of her dress down in the front, and then in the back, and _seriously,_ how does Karlie do this regularly? She feels like anyone could look at her and just _know._

"You, Miss Swift, are taking _very_ tiny steps," Karlie points out after a couple of minutes. 

"I'm trying to keep my knees together like a _lady,"_ Taylor whines. 

That starts Karlie off laughing again, and she lets go of Taylor's arm to wrap her arms around her middle. "God, you're so..." she starts, but then trails off, smiling at Taylor and shaking her head. 

Taylor frowns a little. Safe? Boring? She knows what she is. She hates that Karlie thinks that. 

But then Karlie looks at her pointedly and throws her arms up in the air and twirls around on her toes. Her skirt rises up, but only an inch. A safe, small distance, and there’s nobody close by them to see. "Now you," she beams at Taylor. 

Taylor frowns a tiny bit, but complies, spinning in her heels. Again, her skirt goes up but not indecently high. There's a breeze that - well, she kind of expected, right, but she didn't expect it to feel so chilly and _good._ She gasps and giggles before she can stop herself, and Karlie smirks. 

"Told you," she sing-songs, and Taylor smacks her arm playfully. 

Karlie tangles her fingers in hers and they walk along some more, hands swinging between them. 

"Now what?" Taylor asks after a second. It's not that this isn't great, but it seemed like this was Karlie's grand scheme or something. She expected more than some twirling. 

"What do you mean, now what?! I got Taylor Swift to do something a little naughty, I think this party is amazing!"

Taylor rolls her eyes at her. 

“Okay,” Karlie says. “I dare you to do a cartwheel.”

Taylor laughs as she shakes her head. “Mm, no,” she says firmly. 

Karlie laughs too. “Then… do you wanna dare _me_ to do a cartwheel?”

Taylor’s stomach does a cartwheel of it’s own. She ignores it. “Still no. Although I’m sure that you would make it look graceful and amazing.” 

“Of course I would,” Karlie agrees, and then she raises her arm to make Taylor twirl around again. Between the breeze doing it’s thing and Karlie’s whole face lighting up as she laughs, Taylor is hit with the most unexpected feeling, and it takes her a second to place it. 

Being on stage makes her feel powerful. Getting dressed up in gorgeous clothes for a shoot or an awards show makes her feel beautiful, and looking at herself in the mirror in her underwear, she feels (usually) hot. But right now, damn, she feels _sexy._

So. That’s a revelation, right there: Karlie makes her feel sexy. _And,_ her brain helpfully points out, _this isn’t the first time_ that’s _happened._

Their pathway leads them back out into the main party, and they automatically unlink hands as they join the other guests. Taylor grabs another glass of champagne and Karlie finishes the last of hers in one long swallow and does the same. Then they meet up with Cara and Lily and Taylor finds another glass of champagne. There’s a lot of laughing and yet another glass, and some mingling and more champagne, and then Karlie gets pulled away to talk to some fashion people that she knows and Taylor doesn’t, and Taylor finds another drink and absently talks to people around her. Cara keeps making her laugh, and it seems like every time the glass in her hand is emptied, there’s a very handy waiter around, ready with a full one. She’s having fun and she forgets about feeling uncomfortable, because honestly she feels _great._

And then all of a sudden everything becomes clear to Taylor: she’s not wearing underwear and she’s having a _great_ time and she really wants to kiss Karlie Kloss. And...you know what? She’s _going_ to kiss Karlie. Everything is suddenly so simple. 

Taylor sets down her empty glass absently, and skips over to hug Cara. Karlie’s over with Lily talking to someone, but Taylor notices how she keeps looking back at her, and it’s great. Everything about this party is _great._

She presses her head to Cara’s and says, “Everything about this party is _great!”_ It comes out a lot louder than she means it too.

“I have a secret,” she says, and makes sure she’s whispering, “and I am going to tell you it.” 

“I love you when you’re drunk,” Cara laughs. 

That’s silly, because she’s totally not drunk. But, doesn’t matter, this is more important. _“I’m_ not wearing any panties, because Karlie made me, and I really really like her Cara, and I have decided that I’m going to kiss that Kloss.” 

Cara frowns in confusion and nods and tries to process this, and Taylor muses, “Kiss that Kloss, Kiss Kloss.” Words are funny, so she laughs. 

“Ooookay,” Cara sighs, and then she’s pulling her by the arm. Taylor yelps and protests, because they’re going in the opposite direction from Karlie, and that’s _bad._

“Taylor,” Cara says very seriously, sitting Taylor down on a chair and handing her a bottle of water. “Pay attention.”

Taylor’s not sure where she Cara got the water from. It appeared out of nowhere, just like magic! Was it magic? “You’re magic, Cara,” she tells her. 

Cara smiles. “Thank you, babe. And you’re very drunk.”

“I can’t possibly be drunk Cara, because this is an _afternoon_ party. It’s not even dark yet!” Taylor exclaims. And she points up at the sky, like the fact that it’s blue is proof of her sobriety. 

But now that Cara’s mentioned it a couple of times, yeah, okay, she had quite a few drinks. Five? Six? Maybe...more? And that’s not the best at four in the afternoon out in public, but, fine, she’ll make sure she’s being _very_ quiet and _very_ steady, and no one will notice. Can’t have any headlines about a drunk, sloppy Taylor. She puts her arms out to steady herself - balance is important - but then remembers that she’s already sitting down. 

“Ohhh, fuck,” she says to Cara, her eyes wide. “I’m really drunk?”

“I know babe, it’s okay,” Cara says, patting her arm. “Drink your water. I’ll find you a snack in a little bit. But first I really need you to listen to me.”

Taylor meets Cara’s eyes and nods very seriously. She’s totally listening, and she’s not going to reach out and stroke one of Cara’s eyebrows like she _totally_ wants to. 

“Okay.” Cara says. “Okay, don’t get mad at me, but. Do you remember the last time you were very drunk and kissed Karlie Kloss?”

“Nope,” Taylor says automatically, shaking her head, but then remembers that she’s not talking to Tree or her mom or the press and makes a face at Cara. “Okay, yeah.”

“Right,” says Cara delicately. “And that...did not go well.”

But that was like a million years ago, Taylor wants to say, and also a bad idea because of the public and stupid stupid camera phones and _also_ not her fault, there was drinking and great live music and Karlie was dancing up against her and - _this_ is totally different. Cara doesn’t know that Taylor’s just had a total revelation and is, like, definitely cool with her feelings now. Feelings are terrific, she can't even remember why she didn't want to feel them before. 

“Because I remember you being very freaked out the next day,” Cara says, before Taylor can make her understand. “And then Karlie called me too, _also_ pretty freaked out.”

Taylor did not know that. “Wait, like, _bad_ freaked out?”

“No,” Cara replies reassuringly. “Just, confused. And so were you, right? So that’s why I wanna tell you that while I’m totally supportive of you and Karlie, if you wanna go there, and also I _love_ being the chick that my sexually curious friends call for advice, _but._ Taylor, I think you should wait until you’re both sober, if you want this to happen.”

That sounds smart, but it also sounds _terrible._

“Boooooo,” Taylor whines. 

“Taylor, I-” Cara starts, but Taylor cuts her off.

“No, I’m booing you because you’re right. And I hate it.”

Cara gives her a sympathetic smile. “I know a little liquid courage would make things easier, but being sober will make it mean more, you know?”

And, yeah, she’s right. The last time Taylor kissed Karlie it was very drunk and very confusing and messy and weird, and Cara’s right, if she’s going to kiss Karlie again, she needs to do it properly. She doesn’t want Karlie to think it doesn’t mean anything, because Karlie means _everything_ to Taylor. 

“Can you make me sober up, like, right now?” she asks Cara plaintively, even though she already knows the answer. 

“Nope, I’m not _that_ magic,” Cara shakes her head. “But look alive, Karlie and Lily are coming back.”

The two models join them, and Lily sits down next to Cara. Karlie looks at Taylor, and then sits herself down on Taylor’s lap.

Taylor wraps her arms around Karlie’s waist instinctively, and then loosens her grip a tiny bit when Cara raises an eyebrow at her. 

“Do you ever get the urge to, just like, pet Cara’s eyebrows?” she whispers into Karlie’s ear.

“All the goddamn time!” Karlie exclaims, and reaches out to smooth her thumb across Cara’s left brow. Taylor reaches out for the other one. 

Cara flinches back from their hands. “Drunk weirdos!” she yells. 

“Ooh!” Lily leans over. “I love drunk Taylor!”

“What about meeee?” Karlie whines. “Anybody love drunk Karlie?”

“I do,” Taylor says quietly, before she can stop herself. Maybe Karlie didn’t hear her, she thinks. But her face is still right next to Karlie’s ear, so. 

“Oh my god, you’re _both_ drunk?” Cara asks, peering intently into Karlie’s face. 

“I drank when she drank!” Karlie shrugs happily. 

“Okay, well, that’s not super helpful. See, our little Tay here overserved herself and needs an escort home, and I was hoping you’d take her.”

“Oh,” Lily says, “I could go with both of them, I don’t mind.” 

“No no,” Taylor says quickly, before she has time to really think about it. “Cara needs you to stay here, she has...a...thing she wants to talk to you about.” Okay, that’s _not_ the best excuse she’s ever come up with. 

“You do?” Lily asks Cara. 

“I do?” Cara asks Taylor. 

“You _do,_ ” Taylor says firmly, trying to communicate with Cara through eye contact. 

“Well _that’s_ settled!” Karlie says happily. “Cara has a thing. And Tay and I can make it home without a chaperone, thank you.” She unsteadily gets off Taylor’s lap and grabs her hands to pull her up. They both sway for a second before Karlie gets her balance back and wraps an arm around Taylor’s waist to help her out. “See?” She says brightly. “We’re great!”

“We’re _great,”_ Taylor assures Cara, who looks slightly worried, and Lily, who looks mostly confused. 

The two girls wobble off together to find Taylor’s car, and Cara yells after them, “Make good choices!” 

Taylor waves a hand back at her.

* * *

They slip into the back of Taylor’s car - very gracefully, Taylor would like to point out, no stumbling hardly at all - and immediately burst into giggles.

“Okay, I’m _drunk,_ ” Karlie laughs, leaning back against the leather seats. “Drunk in the afternoon, it’s like we’re rockstars!”

“Yeah,” Taylor points out, “but real rockstars would be going to another party, and we’re going home to eat a bunch of food and have a nap probably.”

“Ohhhhhh, food!” Karlie’s eyes light up. “Can we order from that Thai place? Or maybe pizza? Or…”

“Yes.” Taylor says firmly and they both laugh again. 

Karlie wiggles her shoulders against the seat happily and leans closer to Taylor. The backseat is pretty big, there’s not really a reason for them to be pressed so close together, but. Taylor doesn’t want to move away. 

“This was really fun,” Karlie says quietly. 

“It was,” Taylor agrees. 

“Is it...is it dumb if I’m kind of proud of you?” Karlie says hesitantly. “It _is_ dumb I guess, but I am. And I’m drunk so I’m going to say it.”

Taylor laughs into Karlie neck. She’s not sure when she moved her face in that close, but that's okay. Her and Karlie always do this. They fit together well. “At least you know I’m not boring now,” she replies quietly, the alcohol in her system making honesty easy. 

Karlie pulls away from her so quickly Taylor almost faceplants into the seat. “You’re _not_ boring!” she says loudly, her face full of shock. 

Taylor shrugs, and waves a hand vaguely around and says, “no, it’s okay.”

“No it’s not! I’ve _never_ thought that, did you think I thought that?!” Karlie’s eyes flash and she presses both hands to Taylor's cheeks gently, forcing eye contact. “You’re the _best_ person I know. You’re smart and funny and _fierce_ and an amazing business woman and songwriter. You’re strong and brave and _everything_ and not even a little bit boring. Okay?”

And Taylor nods, because it’s the only thing she can do. Karlie’s hands are warm on her cheeks and all she can see are Karlie’s eyes, and all she can feel is Karlie’s breath ghosting over her face. It’s all Karlie, her whole world is Karlie and Karlie’s loving words. 

Karlie is leaning in closer, not moving her hands away but smoothing her thumbs gently over Taylor’s cheeks and Taylor is leaning in closer and she’s not sure if they’re moving on purpose or if it’s drunken instinct pulling them together. 

Taylor closes her eyes and turns her head at the last second, letting Karlie’s lips brush over the corner of her mouth. She opens her eyes to disappointment on Karlie’s face and she’s pretty sure it’s obvious on her own face as well, but she’s remembering Cara’s advice and is determined to do this the right way. 

She leans back in to wrap Karlie in a hug, hoping the model doesn’t take this as a rejection. Karlie leans into the hug and Taylor says, “thank you.” It feels inadequate but she hopes Karlie knows she means it. She means thank you for Karlie’s friendship, thank you for today, thank you for _everything._

* * *

Back at Taylor’s, they go a little crazy with ordering food, and giggle wildly as delivery after delivery arrives, filling the counter with takeout containers. They don’t even bother to change out of their dresses, standing around barefoot in the kitchen, leaning over each other for bites of different food. After a pretty good portion is gone and Karlie announces she feels human again, they put the leftovers away and wander lazily into the living room. Taylor heads to the dvd player, because she wants to watch the _Friends_ episode in season one where the girls all lay around and drink margaritas. It feels appropriate.

When she turns back to the couch, she pouts in disappointment, because Karlie has stretched herself out to her full length and is taking up most of it. “Hey,” she whines. “Hey, I wanna lie down too.”

“There’s room at the end there,” Karlie mumbles, face pressed into a pillow, moving her feet out of the way, like, an inch. 

“Like I’m _sitting up,”_ Taylor groans, nudging Karlie in the side with her knee. In the end she pushes Karlie into the couch a little bit more, and lies down next to her, her back pressed against Karlie’s front, so they’re spooning in a way that means they can both see the tv. Her couch is _almost_ wide enough for it to be comfortable. 

“You’ve got pointy elbows,” Karlie whines.

“Yeah well your hipbones feel like knives,” Taylor shoots back. Karlie reaches back and pulls the blanket off the back of the couch haphazardly overtop of them. 

“I’m so fulllll,” she grumbles. “Still feelin’ like a rockstar, though.”

“Mmhm,” Taylor agrees, “couch naps and Friends, super hardcore.”

Karlie relaxes as the episode plays, but Taylor can’t stop thinking about their almost-kiss in the car. If she hadn’t stopped it, they might be doing more than just laying on the couch right now, and the thought makes her heart race. She wants to know if Karlie’s thinking about it too, or if Karlie thought she just wasn’t interested. If that’s the case, Taylor wants to clear that up sooner rather than later. She’s still not completely sober, but the food helped a lot, as well as the water they both drank with dinner. She might not be as sober as Cara had had in mind, but Cara’s not here. And Karlie is. And Taylor’s not feeling super patient, right now. 

Karlie had thrown her leg over top of Taylor’s under the blanket, holding them closer together, and Taylor inches her hand down until it brushes against Karlie’s knee. 

“Kar?” she asks hesitantly. 

“Mm?” comes the response, mumbled into the top of Taylor’s head. 

“Thank you for saying all those nice things. Before,” Taylor says, because she thinks if she can get the conversation back to that, she can get back to the place where their lips were millimeters apart. Or at least be able to judge whether or not Karlie wants that. 

“Meant it all,” Karlie says softly, and Taylor’s pretty sure she’s already half-asleep from the thickness of her voice. She lets her fingers dance aimlessly across Karlie’s knee for a second, before settling a tiny bit higher up on her thigh. Karlie’s skin is warm and smooth under her palm and Taylor resists the urge to turn over and pin Karlie to the couch. _Slow,_ she tells herself. _Slow is smart._

“You’re the most important person to me,” she says, sliding her hand a little bit higher. She’d really like Karlie to tell her either to stop or (preferably) to never stop, just so she can stop feeling so goddamn nervous, but Karlie is silent. Maybe she’s nervous too, though, that would be understandable. 

Taylor takes a deep breath, one that she’s sure Karlie can feel, and twists in Karlie’s arms slowly. Her hand moves as she turns, almost without her permission, higher and higher up Karlie’s thigh, so that when Taylor can finally see Karlie, they’re face to face and Taylor’s hand is _just_ underneath the curve of Karlie’s ass. 

Karlie is fast asleep. 

_Oh._ Taylor pulls her hand back quickly, and turns back to lie back down in her original position. Her face is flushed and her heartbeat is up, and really, she’s not sure if she should stay on the couch with Karlie and try to sleep a little, or just go upstairs and jump in a cold shower. 

Karlie shifts a little in her sleep, her hand involuntarily brushing against Taylor’s chest, and...shower. She’s definitely going to go shower. 

* * *

After her shower Taylor’s definitely awake and sober. She spends more time upstairs then she needs to, blowdrying her hair and carefully picking out her second outfit of the day. She’s nervous, she’s starting to feel a little bit stupid, but she’s determined. She’s going to go downstairs and make her move. She’s going to see what happens. She’s not really sure _how_ to make a move, since her move is usually being cute and flirty and then people come to _her,_ but. Today is a day of trying new things. Karlie thinks she’s brave, so she’s going to go be brave.

Karlie is awake, sitting on the couch looking at her phone when Taylor comes back into the living room. Karlie’s hair is mussed from sleep, and her dress is starting to wrinkle, and she looks _beautiful._ If Taylor’s being honest with herself - and she is, now - nothing makes her happier than catching Karlie acting at home in her apartment. She had pushed away thoughts like this in the past, but it makes her think of Karlie living with her, of waking up to Karlie every morning, of coming home to her after a concert or interview. 

It suddenly seems incredibly stupid to her, that just this morning, she was content to just be friends with Karlie. She wants way more than that, and has for a while, and now that she’s fully admitted it to herself, she knows these feelings aren’t going to magically disappear any time soon. 

And so she’s going to do something about it. She really _really_ hopes that Karlie is having similar feelings. 

“Oh hey,” Karlie smiles up at her when she enters the room. “You look nice. I was just texting Cara, she wants to know if we want to meet up for supper or something, but we also have a _crazy_ amount of food here still. What do you think?”

“Nah,” Taylor says, trying to sound casual. “I don’t wanna go out.”

“Okay,” Karlie shrugs. “But you got all dressed up again.”

Taylor looks down at her short skirt and crop top. And then she takes a deep breath. “I did. But we can’t go out because…” She’s trying to be seductive, and make her voice all sexy and low, but it seems weird. She’s not really the seducing type. In the end she just says it, in her regular voice. It’s going to have to work. “We can’t go out because I’m still not wearing any underwear.”

And then she twirls for Karlie, in her little skirt. The results have to be a little dirtier than they were at the party, plus Karlie’s on the couch, with a much lower view point. She can’t quite bring herself to meet Karlie’s eyes, but she _has_ to know, _has_ to see Karlie’s reaction, so as she spins back to face her, she keeps her eyes on Karlie’s mouth. And when she sees Karlie’s mouth fall open briefly, in shock, and then immediately smooth out into a sexy grin, _then_ she feels safe to look her in the eyes. 

Karlie’s looking at her like she’s never seen her before. Karlie’s looking at her in _awe,_ and Taylor lets out a breath that she didn’t even know she was holding. 

“We’re _not_ going out then,” Karlie nods, setting her phone very carefully down on the coffee table. “Come here,” she holds out her hand to Taylor, and see, _Karlie’s_ got that sexy low-voice thing _down._

Taylor moves forward to take Karlie’s hand, and Karlie pulls her in harder than she anticipated, causing Taylor to fall onto Karlie’s lap just seconds before their lips crash together. It takes a second of awkward maneuvering, because Taylor doesn’t want to break their kiss, but she ends up straddling Karlie’s lap with her hands in Karlie’s hair. 

Karlie kisses her hungrily, and it’s everything their first kiss wasn’t. It’s private, for one, and sober, and honest. Taylor pulls back briefly to whisper, “I wanted to do this in the car,” and Karlie quickly replies, “I wanted to do this the first time we _met.”_ before finding Taylor’s lips again. 

So. There it is, confirmation that Karlie wants this just as badly as Taylor does. She feels stupid that it took her so long, but they can make up for lost time. She kisses her way down Karlie’s neck and Karlie slides her hands up Taylor’s thighs under her skirt and they both gasp when Karlie touches Taylor. 

“Wait, wait,” Taylor mumbles, pulling back a little. 

“Sorry,” Karlie murmurs, cheeks flushing. “Am I going too fast? We don’t have to...”

Taylor laughs and leans back in to kiss Karlie on the forehead, on the cheek, and then again on the lips. “I came in here and announced I’m not wearing panties, I wasn’t intending for us to go _slow,”_ she points out. 

“Okay, good,” Karlie replies, sneaking her hand back under Taylor’s skirt. 

Taylor grabs her wrist. “I just...I want…” She’s not totally sure _what_ she wants, or how to voice it. She’s a big believer that first times should be special, whether it’s the _very_ first time, or just the first time with a new person. She had always figured if her and Karlie ended up in bed together, there would be, like, candles lit and moonlight streaming in through the window, and maybe some lacy lingerie. She hadn’t planned for early-evening sex on her couch. 

But then again, she hadn’t planned on _any_ of this, for falling for her best friend. And, she reasons, shaking things up has worked out _really_ very well for her today, so there’s no point stopping now. 

Karlie’s waiting expectantly, and sure, Taylor could suggest that they move to her bed, but. The way Karlie’s looking at her, the way Taylor feels like her heart could just _burst,_ she _knows_ that there’s going to be so many other times. She’ll have time with Karlie in her bed with candles, time with Karlie pressed up against the wall in the shower; she wants Karlie in every room in her house. There will be plenty of time for candles and romance later. 

So she leans in and kisses Karlie deeply, running her tongue across her bottom lip, before saying, “I want to be able to touch you, too.”

Karlie moves them instantly, wrapping her arms around Taylor’s waist and flipping them both on their sides. They untangle their legs and lie on the couch facing each other, Karlie’s hands sliding down to cup Taylor’s ass. “You got a little lost in your head for a second there,” Karlie observes. “Am I ruining your carefully planned moment?”

Taylor laughs into Karlie’s neck because, god, nobody knows her as well as Karlie does. “I was thinking about candles,” she admits. “And moonlight.”

“We could light candles,” Karlie says.

“I know,” Taylor replies, “but then I decided I didn’t want to wait to do this.” She slides her hand under Karlie’s dress, and Karlie mirrors her actions, her hand back on Taylor’s thigh. Karlie’s eyes flutter closed but Taylor keeps hers open, wanting to see Karlie. 

They touch each other at the same time, and Taylor feels a complete sensory overload at the feeling of Karlie’s wetness under her hand, at the feeling of Karlie’s fingers touching her gently. She kisses Karlie and moans against her neck and Karlie winds her other hand through Taylor’s hair, tugging lightly. Taylor tries to memorize it all, the slick feeling of Karlie around her fingers, the sounds she makes as Taylor speeds up their rhythm slightly, the way Karlie is exploring her, touching her almost hesitantly, but then more firmly when Taylor responds. 

Karlie slides a second finger inside her and Taylor moans, and then Karlie’s mouth is on hers again, kissing and biting and sucking on her bottom lip. Taylor had been thinking earlier that slow was good, but now, fuck slow, they _can’t_ slow down. They pant into each other's mouths, and Karlie’s hips are moving against Taylor’s hand, and Taylor doesn’t want to stop, not even as Karlie clenches around her and shakes in pleasure. Taylor comes seconds later, but keeps rocking her hips, keeps moving her hand against Karlie until Karlie reaches down to grab her arm. 

Taylor tugs her skirt back down a little and tucks her head under Karlie’s chin and waits for their breathing to settle down. 

_“Fuck,”_ Karlie gasps. 

_“Yeah_ we did,” Taylor replies smugly, because she just can’t help it. 

Karlie smacks her arm gently and laughs while Taylor traces her fingers lightly over Karlie’s sweaty neck. 

“So,” Taylor says casually, “are you _sure_ I’m not boring?” 

“Oh my god, shut up,” Karlie sighs fondly, rolling her eyes. 

Taylor’s not exactly worried about _that_ anymore, but whatever, maybe she wants to hear Karlie say some more sweet things about her. 

“C’mon, say more sweet things about me.” She pokes Karlie in the side and then realizes, god, they had sex and they’re still pretty much fully clothed. Which leads her back to the idea of Karlie in her bed, or Karlie in the shower, or just Karlie in general, Karlie’s naked body spread out in front of her. Sounds like an excellent way to spend the rest of the day. And tomorrow. All her available free time from now on, probably. 

“So I have a really good idea,” Taylor says, and Karlie makes a little questioning sound. Taylor grins into her shoulder. “From now on, my apartment is an underwear free zone. Panties off at the door.” 

Karlie laughs. “I think I’ve created a monster,” she says. 

“Oh, you don’t think it’s an amazing idea?” Taylor teases her. 

“No, I just...I don’t think we’ll ever leave your apartment again,” Karlie replies. 

Taylor shrugs. “I don’t really see a problem there.” 

“No,” Karlie agrees, brushing Taylor’s hair off her forehead and looking down at her fondly. “I guess I don’t either." 


End file.
